Clarke Wins Cricketer of the Year

Australia captain Michael Clarke has won the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and was also named the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year after a stunning 2012-13.

Clarke was the world's leading run-scorer during the voting period of August 7, 2012 to August 25, 2013, with 1559 runs at 70.86, including five centuries, two of which were doubles.

"I was very surprised, to be honest, I think probably because there are so many guys who are playing so well around the world at the moment," Clarke told cricket.com.au. "I definitely didn't expect to have won this award but it is a prestigious award and an honour, and something I'm certainly proud of."

Clarke's efforts with the bat come during a generally disappointing period for Australia, including a 4-0 defeat in India and a 3-0 Ashes loss in England.

"I'd swap it for the team to have success, that's for sure," he said. "The most special feeling in any team sport is winning, but especially in cricket, along with that comes individual performance."

And despite the staggering numbers, Clarke was adamant that he can scale greater heights.

"I think there's a lot of areas of my game that can improve, and I work on those daily," he said. "I think the key to the great players that I look up to is that they have success over a long period of time.

"It's an honour to have won this award this year, but if I want to become a great player, I need to make sure I'm scoring runs and helping this team win games for a few more years to come yet."